A former high-ranking Scientology officer claims in a new book that he saw the 'Pulp Fiction' star kissing a male masseur in a hotel suite, while the actor was already married to Kelly Preston.
- Sep 27, 2022
AceShowbiz - Speculation about John Travolta's alleged same-sex relationship has resurfaced yet again. This time, a former Scientology official drops the shocking bombshell in a new book titled "A Billion Years: My Escape from a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology".
According to Mike Rinder, who was in the top ranks when he left the church in 2007, he witnessed John's kiss with a male masseur in a hotel suite. In the book, he recalls being assigned to help the actor, who was married to Kelly Preston, with "some public relations issues" when he spoke to the "Grease" star in the hotel room.
Mike writes that while they were speaking, John's masseur, clad in a bathrobe, walked into the room and kissed the actor on the mouth. " 'I'll be in soon,' John said as the masseur headed toward the bedroom," Mike details.
Mike admits to being taken aback at the time as he shares, "That was pretty shocking, right in front of a senior Scientology official. It was just not done." As to why John wasn't hiding his alleged relationship with the masseur from him, Mike theorizes, "I guess it was indicative of the trust he placed on me."
Mike explains in the book that he was brought in by the church to help squash talk about John's love life. After the National Enquirer contacted the now-68-year-old actor's team about an upcoming story, the organization swung into action.
"Since the beginning of the '90s, Travolta had been hounded by stories from various alleged male lovers, including one of his former pilots as well as a porn star," Mike notes. "Realizing the potential PR damage a story of gay sex would have on the perfect Scientology couple of John and Kelly, we dug up dirt on the sources and threatened the media with lawsuits."
Mike, who co-hosts "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" with the actress, says that the church claims not to be anti-gay, "yet the threat of a story describing a Scientologist as gay would cause panic internally because for a Scientologist, not being 'cured' of homosexuality would indicate, that the tech doesn't work."
Mike believes that John would have been more open about his sexuality, if it had not been for his strong tie to the church. "Much has been made of John's sexuality and whatever the realities of his sexual orientation may be, I firmly believe he would be more open about it, were not for the stigma he feels due to his strong belief in Scientology," he opines.
Scientology has responded to Mike's claims. In a statement to Page Six, the church's spokesperson says, "Mike Rinder is an inveterate liar who seeks to profit from his dishonesty ... He supports himself by orchestrating the harassment of his former Church and its leader through false police reports, incendiary propaganda and fraudulent media stories."
